As some of you may know I am slowly moving everything over to my new website and blog, please head over to see my latest post as an Island Batik Ambassador
Please come and join me on the other side… 🙂
hit the follow button and take a look round my new shop/website, share with family and friends
Wishing you a fabulous weekend ahead
Michelle
Welcome to my last challenge of the year as an Island Batik ambassador 2021
This months challenge is all about English Paper Piecing
English Paper Piecing (commonly called EPP) is a method of stabilizing fabric around a heavy paper shape before sewing the pieces together to create intricately pieced designs. It provides excellent accuracy and precision piecing. English Paper Piecing originated in England and was called Mosaic or honeycomb patchwork. In the late 1700’s, when all things English became popular in the U.S., the term English Paper Piecing was coined. The most popular shape has always been the hexagon because it makes good use of fabric scrap and is easy to assemble. The most recognizable hexagon pattern is Grandmother’s Flower Garden, which became popular in the 1920-1930s.
English Paper Piecing is often referred to as Hand Piecing or hand sewing and is a traditional sewing method that utilizes a running stitch to sew fabric pieces together. The hand sewer sews a ¼” seam allowance with needle and thread by, beginning a ¼” from the end of the shape, loading stitches on the needle and finishing ¼” away from the end of the shape by pulling the needle through the loaded stitches.
I decided to create a Christmas Wreath pattern using clam shells, along with some Christmas prints, I created 8 of each size (3.5″ and 2.5″)
Using Island batik 16″black solid fabric square, I drew my design, this makes it easier when sewing the clam shell pieces in place
Let the hand sewing begin…
I begin with the outer layer and worked my way around
Once the small clam shells were sewn in place using Aurifil thread, I began adding the larger ones
After hand sewing the circle in place, I added a blanket stitch to add texture
I loved the final look of my block,I wanted the red/green fabric to give the impression of red berries on my wreath. I decided to create a cushion from my block.
Thanks for reading, I hope you have enjoyed seeing my process, head over to Island Batik to see all the other amazing ambassadors creations
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas, and all the very best for 2022
Michelle
This month is all about ‘The Storm at Sea block’ a block which vividly depicts the rolling waves of a stormy sea with its simple color palette and wave-like imagery.
A few interesting facts about the block… The illusion of waves is created by a few geometric shapes with very simple dimensions. The large center square is twice as big as the small center square. The rectangle is the height of the small square block and the length of the large square block.
Changing the color palette could emphasize different elements within the design, creating stunning stars or wavy lines – creating a new look for an old design.
Such an exciting block… I designed my blocks using the EQ8 program, which enabled me to play around with designs and colours.
My surprise bundle of fabrics was now ready to be torn open, to reveal the new collection ‘Sea Glass’ a beautiful collection a sea greens, blues and purples, with super cute sea shells and fish prints
My quilt is made up of 624 pieces, all hand cut and sewn together…
I used Aurifil thread with Schmetz needles in my Brother sewing machine
I was also super excited to try the new fusible cotton batting from Hobbs – wow!! its a game changer!!
No more pins, or basting spray – this you NEED to try
I completed my large lap quilt, with some hand sewn binding in a gorgeous dark purple
I absolutely love the backing, it captures all the stunning fabric colours from the top quilt.
I hope you’ve loved seeing my progress and finished quilt.
To enter this week fabulous giveaway and be in with a chance of winning these,click the link below…
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d463e29d35/
Be sure to head over to https://www.facebook.com/islandbatik to see all the other gorgeous Island Batik Ambassadors quilts
Introducing Vlieseline ECO 150, the first 100% biodegradable voluminous wadding with high insulation performance. Made from renewable resources, 100% Lyocell which is sourced from Eucalyptus trees. This innovative new product biodegrades without leaving any micro plastic contamination in the environment, making it the responsible choice when considering the future of our planet as well as providing excellent quality and performance.
ECO150 can be used with most fabrics and is suitable for garments, patchwork and quilting as well as a whole range of crafting applications. This light, voluminous sew-in wadding has a soft handle and high migration resistance due to its anti-static qualities. It is extremely comfortable in garments and quilts as it is `breathable‘ with up to 45% moisture absorption. It can be hand or machine sewn and quilters should use a spacing of 15-20 cm. Washable to 40°, it can be pressed using a cool iron. It is 155 cm wide and available in white.
Last week I received a sample of Vlieseline Eco150 wadding – its incredibly soft and cosy AND 100% bio-biodegradable. So soft in fact, that a photo alone wasn’t enough, so I made this short video.
Important note: After 3 wash cycles there can be a 20% higher loss of volume when compared with polyester waddings.
Tilda have also just released their scrap bundles, and I couldn’t resist teaming these up together, along with some Tilda cream solid.
These scrap bundles are from ALL the Tilda collections
I would love to know if you have used this wadding before…
Happy sewing
Michelle x
The 2021 Aurifil Color Builders are a capsule of 12 mini-collections dedicated to an incredibly worthy cause that falls in line with Aurifil’s goal to increase sustainability and positive environmental impact — Endangered Species. Each collection contains three large spools of their supple and strong 40wt thread — a warm, a medium, and a dark.
For the October challenge, Aurifil asked the Island Batik Ambassadors to create a piece inspired by the endangered animal featured on their assigned Color Builder box.
I received the Sumatran Elephant…
The Sumatran elephant is native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and are one of the smallest of the Asian elephants, and known for their bright skin. Sadly there are are only between 2400 and 2800 Sumatran elephants left in the world, which puts them on the critically endangered list.
There has been a huge decline recently, largely due to habitat loss and illegal killing of the elephants for their ivory.
WWF Indonesia aims to protect the sustainability of the Sumatran elephants through collaborations with the government and other organizations. They have established elephant patrols, that serves to prevent hunting and dismantling of traps that can endanger the elephants.
Auriful thread have drawn their color inspiration from 12 magnificent animals, currently in dire need of attention, advocacy, and compassion. They are dedicated to highlighting their stories, helping to educate on their struggles, and working to create valuable change via awareness and fundraising. To help achieve these goals, Aurifil are collaborating with Earth League International and are looking forward to a strong and effective partnership, to read more about their work, head to
https://www.aurifil.com/2021-color-builders
I’ve created a wall hanging, using some gorgeous Island Batik fabrics, and the 3 Aurifil threads from my pack
I love the effect of the Island Batik blue fabrics
The light thread added a lovely shimmer to my project
Using the other two thread colours, I added some thread painting details to add depth and shading
Be sure to check out all the other Ambassadors projects, by heading over to the Island Batik Page
This wall hanging was quilted with Hobbs cotton batting and I added some hanging hoops to complete my project
I’ve really enjoyed reading about these elephants along with all the other Ambassadors projects, I hope you have too.
Michelle x
What do you get if you mix a gorgeous new collection of Island Batik ‘proud peacock’ with some Auriful thread, a Deb Tucker Studio 180 Tucker Trimmer ruler and a sewing machine?
Need a clue?
Still need more clues? This super handy ruler is great for your HST projects…
Yes you guess it… a super adorable quilt
This quilt is made up of over 725 hand cut pieces, and uses every fabric from the Proud Peacock collection (plus a few duplicates), sewn together using Auriful Thread.
After putting my quilt top design together, I had 5 blocks left over… the perfect amount to make a gorgeous table runner
Head over to the Island batik page to see all the amazing new fabric collections, along with all the very talented Island Batik ambassadors who have created some stunning quilts this month (and every month).
Proud Peacock collection has been designed by Kathy Engle for Island Batik and is in shops from September 2021
Fancy being in with a chance of winning the Island Batik ‘Sticks and Stones fabric collection shown below????
Best of luck
Michelle x
Designed by Debbie Shore from her Half Yard Home book.
Pieced by Michelle Roberts at creativeblonde
http://www.creativeblonde.co.uk
Grab a copy of Debbie Shore’s book to make your very own reversible bag. Below are my photos to show you how I used the poppy and denim fabric from Craftcotton to create my version of the bag.
Materials
Two 20” x 10” pieces from the denim fabric
Two 20” x 10” pieces from the poppies on white fabric
Two 13” x 3” pieces from the denim fabric
Two 13” x 3” pieces from the poppies on white fabric
Two 20” x 3” strips from the poppies on black fabric
Aurifil threads
Haberdashery items
Lets get sewing…
(All seam allowance is ¼”)
Using your rotary cutter and ruler, create the handles
Take your time when creating the pleats, to make sure they are all in the same place on each fabric bag piece.
Shape the bottom corners of your bag pieces.
Pin the handles in place
The two pieces are then sewn together. Remember to leave a gap for turning
Turn right side out and press
What will you use yours for?
To see more of my tutorials, you can follow my blog www.creativeblonde.co.uk and/or Instagram page www.instagram.co.uk/michelle_creativeblonde and www.facebook.com/creativeblonde66
Stockist for Fabric
No one typically thinks of winter in the summertime but it’s the best time of all to get an early start on Christmas and holiday projects…
I love a Christmas table, filled with sparkle, so I decided to make some Christmas bauble placemats, using some gorgeous Christmas fabrics including Holly berries and Snowflake
These placemats are a perfect size for you dinner plate, and can be personalised for that extra special touch at Christmas.
I’ve used some vibrant Auriful thread, the green is 1114 and the purple is 2545 to add the wording details
Each place-mat has Vliseline Thermolam wadding inside, to give it some stability and form, with hand sewn binding, using Aurifil thread and Clover sharps black gold needles.
All finished off with a sparkly silver ribbon and bow, all I need now is the crackers and the Yorkshire puddings
Have you started thinking about Christmas yet?
Michelle x
Last month I completed my first Christmas project of the year, its a Dresden table runner for the Craft cotton Blog and I wanted to share my free pattern with you guys here aswell.
I love the Dresden blocks, and their versatility.
This is a fabulous size table runner, measuring 21″ x 66″
The Dresden blocks are sewn onto a white background, with hand sewn red binding, to really make this table runner pop.
To download my free pattern, click the link below, be sure to follow me and leave a comment 🙂
Looking for some special handmade gifts, check out my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/uk/shop/creativeblondegifts and Not On The High Street store www.notonthehighstreet.com/creativeblonde
Happy wednesday
Michelle x
Welcome to June’s Island batik challenge, this month is all about using our Accuquilt ultimate cutting machine, and combining the 8” or 12” finished BOB dies, with the GO! Qube 8″ Mix & Match Block and create a whole new pattern by combining the two.
I decided to combine the Hattie Choice block with the Go! zero pattern block to make a 31″ square lap quilt. I’ve used some super bright orange and yellows from my stash buster collection, along with some gorgeous Marbles from the basics range and Almond from the neutrals collection
I wanted this lap quilt to give off some summer vibes
I used Hobbs cotton batting inside, along with a super bright yellow Auriful thread to quilt this blanket.
I added a really bright orange binding, to make this summer vibe quilt pop
I couldn’t resist taking this quilt on a little photo shoot around my garden in the beautiful sunshine…
Head over to Island Batik Facebook page to see all the other amazing quilts that have been designed by the other Ambassadors
Enjoy the beautiful sunshine, and spread some love and joy today
Michelle x
Michelle aka Creative Blonde 